Introduction:
As a future elementary school teacher, I found Claiborne Pell Elementary School in Newport, Rhode Island to be quite interesting. It is brand new and was opened in 2013. They recently shut down all four other aging elementary schools in Newport in order to save money, so they now created the Claiborne Pell Elementary School which all elementary students in Newport attend. It has 854 students which is very large for an elementary school. (Pell Elementary School) I will discuss the research I found on the school's safety, its demographics, their academic achievement, and teaching.
School Safety:
The Claiborne Pell Elementary School is beautifully built and also very new. Overall, 91.6% of students feel safe roaming the hallways of this school and 82.8% feel safe walking outside of the building. 82.9% claim that nothing has ever been stolen from them at school. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) These are high percentages for a school in a city. It is a good sign that so many students think positively toward the school's safety, especially for a school with such young children. Safety is the most imperative quality a school can obtain.
Demographics:
Newport is a little more diverse than other parts of Rhode Island, but still proves to be mostly white. The school's demographics are 70.2% white, 28.9 black or African American, 2.6 Asian, 6.1 American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 3.5 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 33.2% identify as hispanic or latino. 64% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch, in comparison to 47% statewide. 5% of students are receiving bilingual education services, similarly to 6% statewide. 20% of students are receiving special education services, in comparison to 15% statewide. (Profile of Newport, Rhode Island) Although Newport is well known for its mansions, yachts, and expensive shopping, it is clear that it is not the most fortunate of areas. However, Claiborne Pell makes a lot of effort to make its students comfortable and given proper guidance.
Academic Achievement:
Academic achievement can be challenging to measure, but the state of Rhode Island uses test scores to do this. According to the NECAP scores, 3rd grade students are 48% and 57% proficient in math and reading. Overall, 3rd graders proficiency average is 56% in math and 69% in reading. The 4rd grade students at Claiborne Pell proficiency scored 51% in math and 62% in reading. In comparison to statewide which is 63% and 70% proficient. (Newport District) Their test scores show not to be the strongest and seem to be lagging about ten percent behind the overall state of Rhode Island. However, high stake test taking is controversial method of proving students' intelligence.
Teaching:
Overall, the teachers at Claiborne Pell Elementary School seem very helpful and kind through my research. 93.8% of students believe that their teachers genuinely care for them and 98.5% believe that their teachers enjoy teaching. 94.6% of the students claim that they can talk to a faculty member if they are having problems with other students or bullying. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) From what it seems, the faculty and staff are very kind to the students at this elementary school. This is essential, especially when working with very young children.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I believe that the combining of all four elementary schools and making Claiborne Pell Elementary School was a smart financial decision, but I'm not sure if it was in the best interest of their students. The new location and facilities are quite nice, but elementary students require a lot of time and attention which can be challenging with a school of over 800 students. However, the teaching staff at this school seems to be very good and make the students feel cared for. Also, the school makes its students feel safe which is the most important quality when looking for a school. Overall, the school is making efforts to better the education and lives of its students.
Claiborne Pell Elementary School
Introduction:As a future elementary school teacher, I found Claiborne Pell Elementary School in Newport, Rhode Island to be quite interesting. It is brand new and was opened in 2013. They recently shut down all four other aging elementary schools in Newport in order to save money, so they now created the Claiborne Pell Elementary School which all elementary students in Newport attend. It has 854 students which is very large for an elementary school. (Pell Elementary School) I will discuss the research I found on the school's safety, its demographics, their academic achievement, and teaching.
School Safety:
The Claiborne Pell Elementary School is beautifully built and also very new. Overall, 91.6% of students feel safe roaming the hallways of this school and 82.8% feel safe walking outside of the building. 82.9% claim that nothing has ever been stolen from them at school. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) These are high percentages for a school in a city. It is a good sign that so many students think positively toward the school's safety, especially for a school with such young children. Safety is the most imperative quality a school can obtain.
Demographics:
Newport is a little more diverse than other parts of Rhode Island, but still proves to be mostly white. The school's demographics are 70.2% white, 28.9 black or African American, 2.6 Asian, 6.1 American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 3.5 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 33.2% identify as hispanic or latino. 64% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch, in comparison to 47% statewide. 5% of students are receiving bilingual education services, similarly to 6% statewide. 20% of students are receiving special education services, in comparison to 15% statewide. (Profile of Newport, Rhode Island) Although Newport is well known for its mansions, yachts, and expensive shopping, it is clear that it is not the most fortunate of areas. However, Claiborne Pell makes a lot of effort to make its students comfortable and given proper guidance.
Academic Achievement:
Academic achievement can be challenging to measure, but the state of Rhode Island uses test scores to do this. According to the NECAP scores, 3rd grade students are 48% and 57% proficient in math and reading. Overall, 3rd graders proficiency average is 56% in math and 69% in reading. The 4rd grade students at Claiborne Pell proficiency scored 51% in math and 62% in reading. In comparison to statewide which is 63% and 70% proficient. (Newport District) Their test scores show not to be the strongest and seem to be lagging about ten percent behind the overall state of Rhode Island. However, high stake test taking is controversial method of proving students' intelligence.
Teaching:
Overall, the teachers at Claiborne Pell Elementary School seem very helpful and kind through my research. 93.8% of students believe that their teachers genuinely care for them and 98.5% believe that their teachers enjoy teaching. 94.6% of the students claim that they can talk to a faculty member if they are having problems with other students or bullying. (Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report) From what it seems, the faculty and staff are very kind to the students at this elementary school. This is essential, especially when working with very young children.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I believe that the combining of all four elementary schools and making Claiborne Pell Elementary School was a smart financial decision, but I'm not sure if it was in the best interest of their students. The new location and facilities are quite nice, but elementary students require a lot of time and attention which can be challenging with a school of over 800 students. However, the teaching staff at this school seems to be very good and make the students feel cared for. Also, the school makes its students feel safe which is the most important quality when looking for a school. Overall, the school is making efforts to better the education and lives of its students.
Sources:
“Newport District.” Info Works!, n.d. www.infoworks.ride.ri.gov.
“Profile of Newport, Rhode Island.” Rhode Island Kids Count, n.d. www.rikidscount.org.
“Pell Elementary School.” Newport Public Schools, n.d. http://www.npsri.net/pell.
“Survey Works! 2013-2014 School Level Report.” Info Works!, n.d. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2013-2014/combined/surveyworks-2013-2014-claiborne-pell-elementary-school-student-parent-teacher-es.pdf.